Seattle's Harborview averages 65 fireworks injuries around July 4

Among Seattle's summer traditions — like Bumbershoot, constructing homemade air filters for wildfire smoke, watching the Blue Angels perform high in the sky, and listening to cranky neighbors complain about the Blue Angels — is the long line of fireworks injuries heading into local emergency rooms around the Fourth of July.

That's why Harborview Medical Center is reminding folks that fireworks are explosives and therefore dangerous. Use with caution. Injuries are common.

"We normally see, unfortunately, two types of injury patterns, and large numbers of them: Injuries to the face and to the eyes and, sadly, injuries to people's hands as well,” said Dr. Steve Mitchell, director of Harborview's emergency department.

RELATED: Are fireworks banned in your area? Check here.

Harborview sees an average of 65 fireworks injuries each year around the Fourth of July, and that's just one emergency department serving the Seattle area. That's up from 2022's numbers, when Harborview said it expected 40-50 injuries.

“Oftentimes, the young children that we see are really innocent bystanders,” Mitchell said. “They were participating in a party or a family gathering and a firework was set off by somebody else. And then it oftentimes will hit them in the face and affect their eyes or their face. It’s a significant problem .... All of these injuries are very tragic."

A lot of Harborview's advice around fireworks is pretty basic, common-sense stuff. Don't hold fireworks in your hands (it's gunpowder after all, and that explodes). Don't point fireworks at others. And don't booze it up and then play with explosives.

It could also be said that nothing you can buy from a supermarket parking lot can compete with a professional, massive, fireworks show — of which there are many local options. So consider letting someone else do the work and catch a live show instead of lighting your own.